For awhile I had a Smith & Wesson 686 Plus 3" loaded with hot 38 Specials at my bedside. I have upgraded to a recently acquired Glock 17M fitted with a TLR-1 light and kept in a Vedder IWB holster.

@Graham Baates I took most of my training at the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy in London, Ohio. I believe it was in 1979 that I went to a two week class there called Advanced Patrol Tactics. The first week was all firearms training where I first learned about point shooting, I think they called it "tac-tac shooting" back then. I also learned how bouncing bullets reacted. The second week was a real treat. We were instructed by no less than Takayuki Kubota and Lon Anderson. Kubota was inventor of the Kubaton, or at least he adapted a martial arts weapon for police use. Anderson had done the same by adapting the Tonfa and making the PR-24 baton manufactured by Monadnock. Kubota certified us as Kubaton and handcuffing instructors. Anderson certified us as PR-24 instructors. I saw Kubota dodge a full speed punch and handcuff the student's wrist as it went by and taking him to the ground fully cuffed in one swift motion. I trained many Officers after that class. I learned that after black and blue comes yellow and purple bruises. LOL I will never forget those two weeks. I left the job pretty well burned out in 2007. Sad to say I have not trained anyone since, nor have I gone into any formal training. I spend my time working out, hiking, playing with my dog and going to the range to keep my hand in. A law enforcement career has made me the opposite of a people person. Be safe.

My name is Ken. I was a police officer in the Cleveland area for 32 years. I have always been involved in self defense shooting training. I have a pretty large collection of firearms including a lot of vintage Smith & Wesson revolvers. I mainly rely on Glocks for personal defense, probably due to me carrying one on duty the last half of my career. I have been known to pocket carry a j-frame now and then, but with today's climate that is becoming increasingly less likely.